Context: Recently, India has provided 10 lakh doses of ‘Made in India' coronavirus vaccines and a grant of 10,000 tonnes of rice and wheat to Myanmar as part of its continued humanitarian support for the neighbouring country.

• It was the first visit of an Indian Foreign Secretary to Myanmar since Myanmar's military deposed the democratically-elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in a coup on 1st February 2021.

Background

• The military, led by General Min Aung Hlaing, had displaced a democratically elected government in Myanmar through a military coup.
• This was followed by protests by citizens demanding the restoration of democracy.
• The military had launched a campaign against the democratic elements in Myanmar, while the democratic protest has received support from the insurgent groups in Myanmar’s forested regions that border India. This had given rise to a cycle of violence in Myanmar.

Key Points

• The visiting Foreign Secretary has called on the Myanmar administration for the early restoration of democracy and has also conveyed India’s offer to mediate between the various stakeholders to end the crisis in Myanmar through dialogue.
• The foreign secretary raised India’s past engagements with different stakeholders to stabilise the country.
• India had hosted various democratic groups of Myanmar for many years after the 1988 crackdown that forced them to seek shelter abroad.
• India emphasized its interest in seeing normalcy return in Myanmar.
• The large influx of displaced people from Myanmar into India and the escalating narcotic and insurgent movements in the northeastern States has added to India’s problems.

Developments in India-Myanmar ties after the Military Coup in Myanmar

• Following the February 1 coup when the Myanmar military overthrew the democratically elected government, around 300 Myanmarese nationals including many policemen have crossed into India and sought refuge.
• There is considerable support and sympathy among the people of Mizoram over the situation in Myanmar as many have relations across the border.
• India and Myanmar have an arrangement called Free Movement Regime (FMR) which allows locals on both sides to go upto 16 km across the other side and stay upto 14 days, however, FMR was suspended due to COVID-2019 and no one has been being allowed since.
• The fallout of this suspension of FMR was that there has been an increase smuggling across the border as the livelihood of people has been disrupted due to the pandemic.
• Recently, no one is being allowed to enter India from Myanmar and the Assam Rifles, which is the border guarding force there, is keeping a close watch after the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) directive.
• However, the border is porous as, (unlike the Bangladesh border of which more than 60% is fenced) the Myanmar border is unfenced and completely blocking it not possible given the tough terrain.
• For central agencies and Assam Rifles on the ground, it is a tricky situation in maintaining a delicate balance in executing the MHA orders and maintaining the cordial relations with the States agencies and the locals.

India-Myanmar Border

• The international border between the India and Myanmar (formerly Burma) is almost 1500 kms long in length and runs from the tripoint with China in the north to the tripoint with Bangladesh in the south.
• The precise location of the tripoint with China is unclear owing to the Sino-Indian border dispute – at present, the de facto tripoint is located just north of the Diphu Pass.
• From here the border proceeds to the south-west through the Mishmi Hills, except for an Indian protrusion at the Chaukan Pass, then continuing through the Patkai and Kassom Ranges.
• At the south-east corner of Manipur, it turns sharply westwards along various rivers for a period over to the Tiau River.
• It then follows this river southwards for a long stretch down to the Chin Hills, before turning west and proceeding to the Bangladeshi tripoint via a series of irregular lines.

Issues in India-Myanmar ties

• The Rohingya crisis: India does not directly engage with the issue of Myanmar’s treatment of its Rohingya Muslim minority. But India condemned the recent terrorist attacks in northern Rakhine State in a measure of support to Myanmar. Further both sides agreed that there will be no glorification of terrorists as martyrs.
• China factor: As China’s profile continues to rise in India’s vicinity, New Delhi would like to enhance India’s presence by developing infrastructure and connectivity projects in the country. India has found it difficult to counter Chinese influence in Myanmar.
• Project Delays: India is losing friends because of widespread discontent over continuing delay in completion of flagship projects — Kaladan and the India-Myanmar-Thailand trilateral highway. Conceived over a decade back, they are scheduled to be completed by 2019.

Importance of India to Myanmar

• India is cognisant of the geopolitical dimension of Myanmar’s democratisation. 
• Myanmar’s political transition created challenges for Naypyidaw and limited its ties with the West. 
• India and a few Asian countries have engaged Myanmar keeping in mind the need to reintegrate it with the region and world. This has been a strategic imperative for Naypyidaw as part of its policy of diversifying its foreign engagements.
• A key factor behind the military regime’s decision to open the country when it initiated reforms was, in part, to reduce dependence on China. 
• By engaging Myanmar, Delhi provides alternative options to Naypyidaw. This driver in India’s Myanmar policy has perhaps gained greater salience in the rapidly changing regional geopolitics.

Key Suggestions
Even as India continues to call for a restoration of the democratic process, both bilaterally and at various multilateral fora, it has to engage with the army in Myanmar to address Indian concerns as well as to make it a stakeholder that can deliver on the democratic front, including the release of political prisoners.

• Marginalising the army will only push it into China’s arms. Ever since the coup, China’s economic grip over Myanmar has only become tighter with a special focus on projects critical for the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor.
• India’s “Buddhist Circuit” initiative, which seeks to double foreign tourist arrivals and revenue by connecting ancient Buddhist heritage sites across different states in India, should resonate with Buddhist-majority Myanmar.
• The quicker the Rohingya issue is resolved, the easier it will be for India to manage its relations with Myanmar and Bangladesh, focusing instead more on bilateral and subregional economic cooperation. Finally, cooperation in different multilateral forums such as ASEAN and BIMSTEC strengthens the relationship between the two countries.

Road Ahead

• Given that India shares nearly 1700-km long border with Myanmar that runs along the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland and Mizoram, the developments in Myanmar would have a direct impact on India’s bordering regions.  Hence peace and stability in Myanmar remain of utmost importance to India.